


A Different Kind

by orphan_account



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Love Triangles, Romance, Smut, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5232239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varla is seeking vengeance and closure after the death of her sister, but along the way gets caught up in the lives of a pair of twins that couldn't be more different.</p><p>Vilkas/Female Dragonborn/Farkas</p><p>Eventual smut, but they will work for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

     The air was crisp on my face, not like in Blacklight, and I found it suited me well. I took shallow breaths in my efforts to go unnoticed, but small clouds still seeped from my lungs and the light from the early morning sun lit them into existance. My steps were silent, my bow secured tightly to my back. The guard was still asleep, I had watched him for the past two hours, I knew he must be the one I had been looking for all these weeks. My hands shook from the cold, but my nerves were calm. I stood there beside him for a moment, analyzing my quickest escape route if things went to Oblivion.

     Two more imperial guards were chatting idly by a fire just outside. The rest of them, numbering about 8, were all fast asleep and had been for hours. I had decided hastily, when the first sliver of sun slipped through the crack of the mountain skyline, that I needed to act before they all awoke. I positioned myself behind him and slipped my hand into the right pocket of his pants and felt it right away. Sharp and hard and glowing with life force, the soul gem slipped effortlessly into my hand. I pulled it out and quickly dove it into my own pocket. The fear of getting caught now was growing on me, my months of searching and grueling work had finally come to fruition. I had it, now I only had to make it out of Skyrim.

     The sound of the guards' chatter sharpened my senses, and I realized how little time I truly had. "If they're not awake within the hour, we must wake them. We can't risk the Stormcloaks finding us and taking him back."

     Another one laughed mockingly, "If they truly cared for Ulfric, they would not have allowed him to be captured in the first place."

     The first guard remained stoic, "Let us hope you are right, sister. His execution could mean the end of the war."

     Their conversation began to fade from my mind as I peered something peculiar hanging out of one of their pockets. A note with a stormcloak waxing, however, the broken seal looked strangly like my own family's. I swallowed my nerves and pushed closer to them. The shadows were all but gone now, the suns glow boasting through the trees and fog left me with little to hide myself in. I tried to examine the letter again, this time from behind a tree. Both the guards' backs were turned to me, they continued arguing about having caught Ulfric. I assumed they must have been tired, and the success of my last pick-pocketing endeavor flooded my mind with overconfidence, and so I decided to try.

     I crouched low and moved in slowly behind them until I felt the warmth of the fire on my face. I was silent, but fully visible in the daylight. My heart was racing and when I took my final step, I found myself staring inquisitively at the seal on the letter. It was a familiar crest, my own family's, no doubt, but altered to bear a wolves head on one side, it was imprinted proudly in blue wax, the same colour used by the Stormcloak soldiers. I couldn't risk not knowing if it belonged to her. I reached a trembling hand to his back pocket and felt the cold, dry paper between my finders. Exhaling slowly, I pulled the paper free. The seal had already been broken, so it was silent when I unfolded it to read the inscription inside. My heart dropped when I saw her handwriting, so sloppy and careless, but filled with character, I felt warmth inside me for the first time in months as I read,

_To the love of my life,_

_It is with great sorrow in my heart that I tell you that I have been captured by imperial soldiers and I am now awaiting execution. During my time with the stormcloaks, I have dreamt of nothing but you and our beautiful home in Whiterun. I could never imagine such a happiness existing, until I found you. I am writing to you now with no hope that this will ever find you, as prisoners of war are not often granted the priviledge of couriers. In fact, I fear that your safety may hang in the balance should I even mention your name. I write to comfort myself in these lonely times. I miss you so much, I love you. Please find happiness when I am gone._

_Should someone find this letter once I have passed, please deliver it to Whiterun in hopes that I may say to my husband the farewell he truly deserves._

_And of my sister, Varla Dabisi, who has taken no crime in siding in this war, and who resides peacefully in Morrowind at my family home, please send word of my passing with love and regret for the years of silence between us._

_My sister, my twin, I have felt you in my heart growing more empty every day. I want you to find meaning in life, it is there, but you must seek it out. Please end this maddening disdain you hold for man and mer alike. You have been burned, I know it, as have I. But please remember, for every person that hurts you, another seeks to heal you, Varla. With eternal love and blessings of Talos,_

_Annika Dabisi_

     I wiped tears from my eyes and folded the letter back up gently. I reached into my own pocket and felt the soul gem containing her essence in my pocket. My sisters last letter. I decided to take it and slip away from the guards unnoticed but before I could tuck it away with her soul gem, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head. "Hold it right there, elf. That's imperial property, hand it over now and pay the fine, you'll be free to go."

     The guards that were in front of me now turned to face me, mockery in their eyes. I stood slowly, contemplating my next move. If they searched me for stolen goods, they'd find Annika's soul gem, and I couldnt have that. I gripped her letter tightly and took a deep inhale. "Well?"

     The guard prodded the drawn arrow deeper into the back of my head I took one last scan of what I was up against. 11 Imperial guards, all surrounded me, all with their weapons drawn. I laughed to myself at how stupid I was before closing my eyes and remembering the old Dunmer trick that my grandmother had taught me. I sent the energy out and felt the heat rise within my gut. My smirk betrayed me, the guards were all waiting anxiously for my move, overconfident. I clenched my fists and called for the wrath of the fallen Dunmer, igniting the fire within me, flames cloaked my body and immediately burnt the two guards that I had taken Anni's letter from. They screamed like I had never heard before, but I did not have time to revel in it. I spun around to see the same of the guard with the drawn arrow, he lay flat on his back, all life gone from his face.

     I didn't have another second to take in my surroundings, I began sprinting towards the same cliff I'd climbed up to get here, pulling my bow from my back as I ran. The guards all chased me, eight in total. I was grossly outnumbered and not nearly as skilled in direct combat as I was in sneaking and sniping. I was a fine acrobat, though, and made the instinctual decision to evade them on the mountainside. I turned back to face them, running backward, and drew my bow. My arrow glided effortlessly through the air and pierced my target in his thigh, causing him to drop immediately. I drew another and it flew from my fingers with ease, sticking into the face of a woman with a battleaxe. She fell to the ground and her company all continued toward me, trampling her body in the process. I was panting now, the rush of the fight making my heart pulse wildly. I threw my bow over my shoulder, and turned around again. The cliff was fast approaching and I knew I would need both hand if I was going to escape this.

     Six guards continued to chase me down the hillside, firing arrows and consistently missing. I moved swiftly down the jagged cliffs, taking no caution and not once faltering. I was an expert in the art of movement and I took to this role with almost too much confidence. I heard the guards yelling after me, and when I seen a moment of easy sprinting ahead of me, I used it to survey the land below me to see what I could use to my advantage. I spied a giant camp just below and laughed to myself, sprinting fullspeed toward it. The Imperials failed to notice the trap I was pulling them to, and soon I found myself standing on a peak, peering down at a mammoth peacefully grazing below me. I stood on the edge and caught my breath, drawing my bow again and aiming for the closest guard, I shot the arrow and saw the man loose his footing due to the pain and slip down the mountainside. Five guards remained, all of them gaining on me, I drew another arrow but writhed back in pain when steel punctured the armor on my right forearm. I squealed and grabbed the wood on the arrow and broke it off so the head was all that remained sticking half in my skin. I'd never been shot before, I couldn't believe how painful it was. For a millisecond I felt sorrow for the hundreds of things I'd shot.

I yelled in anger and sheathed my bow, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. When the guards drew closer I took one more deep breath and pushed myself backward off the cliff. I felt my stomach in my throat as a free fell towards the mammoth below me. I pulled myself into a back flip and landed on the rear end of the massive creature. I felt him shake in surprise below me, and he started running. My sisters captors all started scrambling down the remainder of the hill after me. A giant caught sight of us and began running towards them, just as I'd planned. I panted heavily as the mammoth carried me far away from them, its fur was balled up in my fist. I let my fear and stress flow from my body as I watched the giant become as small as an ant and the mammoth slowed beneath me.

     I silently thanked it and apologized at the same time, before I slid down the side of it and walked to the nearest tree. I looked up at the sheer size of it and smiled, placing my hand on the bark and longing for the safety of its embrace. I had thought that my mission would be complete when I found the guards that killed Anni, but her note had just made things more complicated.

     I let my thoughts wander to fonder places as I climbed the tree. It wandered to places where Anni and I were young, we were best friends, but then we grew up. Opinions took a hold of our friendship and tore it apart. Loyalty, tradition and family, I used to think that was all that mattered but now none of that mattered. I was completely alone. No family, no friends, I loved no one and now I'd left my home and there was no way I could get past Imperial border control after what had just happened. I found the highest bed of branches and lay myself there, staring up sadly at the sky above me. The sun glowed beautifully, my face warmed under it, and clouds danced up there with birds and the chilly winds.

     I pulled out the tools I needed to heal my arm and tried to ignore the pain as I worked.

 

     Annika had made a home here, in this cold, desolate, war torn place. She loved a man, a nord man most likely. She said she'd never known happiness like she knew it here. I pulled the letter from my pocket. It was charred at the edges from the fire I'd started, and still warm. I read it over and over again, until I felt my eyes getting heavy. I folded it up and placed it in my breast pocket and drifted off to sleep.


	2. 2

When I opened my eyes, the sun was hanging low in the sky, I had slept all day. I heard the faint sound of fighting in the distance and shielded my eyes from the sun to try and see where it was coming from. In the distance, I saw a windmill, a few farm settlements, and a tall stone wall surrounding what appeared to be a hold of some sort. Amidst all the settlement that I had missed this morning was a giant, presumably the same giant that I had angered earlier in the day, fighting what appeared to be common townsfolk.   
"Shit, shit no, shit." I fumbled with my things and began to climb down the tree, there was no way I could let a bunch of innocent strangers get killed by a giant that I had sent into fury in my recent escapades.   
I jumped off the last branch and the second my feet hit the floor, I ran as fast as I could. I drew my bow and fired arrow after arrow, all soaring through the air and hitting the massive target. As I grew closer, I seen that the warriors were not common townsfolk, but strong fighters, and were taking down the beast with little struggle. While keeping my distance, I took a moment to dip an arrow in poison before sending right into the back of the giant's head. With that, he dropped to his knees and the warriors rushed to get out of its way as it fell.  
They made their way over to me with confidence and smiles on their faces. They clapped each other on the backs and shared kind words that I could barely make out, being that I was only half awake. Among them was a woman, beautiful and strong, with fiery red hair and a commanding presence. Two others were behind her, another young woman and a man who instantly caught my eye. He hadn't seen me yet, he was still overcome by the thrill of the fight. I see a sparkle in his steely blue eyes and his smile dazzled me, but above all else, he was built unlike anyone I'd ever seen in my life. Tall and strong, he was cut in every place I could see. It took me a minute to realize Id been staring. "Hey, you handled yourself really well there." The red haired woman called out to me, I met her gaze and instantly felt smaller, even though we were the same size.  
"Thank you, as did you all. Where is this place?" I asked, trying to focus my attention away from the physical prowess of the man behind her.  
"You don't know where you are?" She laughed in disbelief, her company followed suit.  
I managed a chuckle and stepped closer, he saw me now, I knew for sure. His eyes lingered over me with some strange sort of familiarity. "Uhm, yeah. I'm a traveler. I got a little lost last night."  
"Well, traveler, it seems today is your lucky day! You've managed to find Whiterun, home of the companions here in Skyrim. We stay in Jorrvaskr, just beside Dragonsreach and the statue of Talos. My name is Aela, you should come see us some time, we'll see what you're worth." She didn't wait for a response, just turned on her heels and begin walking toward the city.  
I nodded to myself and watched them go, the large man turning back and smiling at me, "You look, uhm, strong!" He laughed to me.   
I laughed along with him, "Have you seen yourself?"  
"You should come by," He smiled back at me over his shoulder as he jogged to catch up with the others.   
He missed a step and stumbled a bit. I saw his cheeks flush pink and I smiled at how charming he was. "To Jorrvaskr, I mean. Ill see you around!" He turned and jogged away briskly.   
I watched in bewilderment as his powerful form faded off into the distance. I laughed to myself, my bow hung loosely in my hand. "Who woulda thought," I mumbled to myself, "A handsome nord man."  
I walked over to the fallen giant to get a closer look and retrieve my arrows. One by one, I yanked them from the loose flesh that hung off his bones. The sun had almost set now, I would need to take cover for the night. I yearned for a bath and to buy myself a real meal, provided I had the coin. There was no way to tell what would lay inside the city walls.   
It made me nervous, the thought of entering a foreign city in such a racist country, though those Nords seemed kind enough. And with my pale blue skin and burgundy eyes, there was no way they could have mistaken me for anything other than what I was.   
I decided I could not avoid the city just because I frightened me. My sisters widowed husband resided in there at one point and I needed to get her letter to him. I owed her that much.  
As I walked toward the city, I reached my hand into my pocket and let the gem inside warm my palm. I looked up at the sky and the moons were just starting to show themselves, the stars were wrapped up in ribbons of beautiful colours, the likes of which I'd never seen in Morrowind. I smiled up at it, trying to force myself to be brave.


	3. 3

The people of Whiterun were kinder than I'd imagined them to be. My Grandmothers words danced in my head, the tales she told of Nords being racist. She'd told Anni that they hated outsiders in Skyrim, but Annika had managed to evade that all together. She'd held a love in her heart for their divine, Talos, since she was a small child. She'd loved the idea that a mortal became divine through bravery, kindness and adventure and this was the city she found herself in when she traveled here and fought in their war with them.   
It was a beautiful city, clean and bright. Children played with each other in the streets and merchants called out advertisements for their wares. I loved it, really, and I wanted to ask everyone what they remembered of my sister, but I feared for my safety and the safety of her husband if I asked the wrong person. I had to keep my personal investigation quiet until I knew I could trust someone.  
I had spent the night in the local inn, it was warm and quaint and the food was hot. I asked asked the inn keep about the Companions and she had spoken highly of them, so I decided to seek out Jorrvaskr that morning.  
Jorrvaskr was built like the body of a great ship tipped upside down, it was elevated above the rest of the city, but not quite as much as their Jarl's house. I took a moment before entering to consider what I was doing here. I wondered, with my light blue fingers pressed softly onto the door handle, if I was distracting myself from my quest to find my sisters husband for the sake of a pretty smile and strapping body.   
I pictured the man I had met yesterday afternoon, how his smile felt so familiar to me, Id never met a stranger like that before. I felt like I already knew him, and I was desperate to know more. I sighed deeply, maybe these Companions would be the ones I could trust. Maybe they could help me find Anni's husband and maybe they knew of a way to free a soul from a soul gem. I found her gem in my pocket and felt it pushing me toward the door. I smiled at the ground and with another sigh I pushed the door open.  
The hall way one giant room, and a lot of commotion was taking place before me. I stepped into the room and the smell of blood and mead overwhelmed me immediately. I shut the door behind me and took in my surroundings. There was a fight going on in one corner, my eyes widened in shock as other companions cheered them on wildly. I let my eyes wander the crowd for the man I'd met yesterday. He was standing proudly, with his back turned to me. His shaggy brown hair glowed in the firelight. His massive arm was draped around the neck of another man, similar in height, but much less bulky. The other man had the same brown hair and he was leaning forward, his palms pressed on the table as he leaned into his conversation. A devious smile lit up his face and argued playfully with a grey haired man sitting in front of them. "Come on, Kodlak. When have Farkas and I ever not been capable of handling such a minuscule task?" His words worked their way through the air into my ears and I was instantly intrigued by the way he weaved them.  
They seemed like the perfect pair, the two of them. The man I'd met yesterday, Farkas, was clearly the brawn of the argument, but this new man was captivating in the way he spoke, his body language was expertly crafted. This was a man who knew how to get what he wanted.   
I could see the man named Kodlaks's face as I slowly walked closer to them. He was laughing, as if he knew them like the back of his hand, like he knew their tricks so well. The old man looked lovingly at the young men standing before him and then his eyes found me. I felt him analyzing me. Farkas lost interest in the argument and his head tilted upward to the fight happening behind Kodlak. The other man noticed Kodlak's interest fleeing and he followed the old man's gaze to me. He looked over his shoulder, still holding his commanding pose over Kodlak's table. When he found me, our eyes met and I instinctively slowed my walking, my breath was sucked from my lungs. His cold blue gaze pierced me like an arrow to the heart, he stared at me so inquisitively, as if he'd never seen something so strange in his entire life. I wondered if he'd ever seen a dark elf before. When he tilted his head, his brow furrowed and all the confident swagger he'd carried just moments ago evaporated into thin air, all that remained was a look of utter perplexity. I'd never felt so interesting to another person, he stood up straight, our eyes never breaking contact, and shrugged Farkas's arm from his shoulder, as if he meant to come talk to me. This made the strong man turn his attention away from the fight, and for the first time he saw me standing there. He called out to me happily and it broke my trance, "Hey! Its you!" He began striding over to me.  
I looked away from this new man for only a moment, smiling at Farkas as he approached me with a big grin on his face. "Yeah, hey!" I managed to choke out, still tingling from the strange encounter with the other man.  
`I looked back over Farkas' looming figure to find the other man had turned his back on me, he and Kodlak were making their way down a set of stairs. The fight was over now, and everyone was settling down. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show!" Farkas's voice snapped my mind back to my body, and I looked up at him, he was closer than he had been yet.   
I laughed, trying to act normally again, "Yeah, of course. I wanted to check it out!"  
"Well then," He seemed excited to see me, like he missed me a lot more than he should have, "Lets get you to see Kodlak!" He spun on his heels and began walking in the same direction at the old man and his friend.  
I followed behind him and tried to search for a natural way to ask about the other man, "Uhm, who was that guy you were just standing with?"

Wow, yeah, really natural. I curse myself for not being more practiced in the art of ambiguity.  
Farkas didn't seem phased by my question, he seemed to be a simple, happy man. "Oh the one that looked like me?" He laughed at himself, "That my brother Vilkas, and my best friend. Skjor says I have the strength of Ysgramor. But Vilkas has his smarts."  
I nodded at the thought and followed him down the stairs and through the doorways. He down his shoulder at me, "So what's your name, Traveler?"   
I swallowed my butterflies when his admiring gaze met mine. "Varla." I smiled softly.  
He smiled back, "Varla, that's a pretty name." His cheeks flushed pink and he turned back to face the direction were were walking in.  
"Thank you, and your name is Farkas?" I asked.  
"How did you-" He looked confused.  
I laughed, "I heard you brother call you by name earlier."  
He laughed too, and I saw down the hall those same eyes that had mesmerized me earlier, but this time they were filled with something else. Bitterness, or something. There was a wall up that hadn't been there only a few minutes ago. As we approached, Kodlak greeted me.   
"What brings you to Jorrvaskr, elf?" His words were warm and welcoming.  
Farkas stood behind me with pride of having been the one to bring me here.  
Vilkas looked at him with sadness, "She wants to be a whelp, I'd imagine. But we're full, elf. Try back next year." His words were cold and belittling.  
I felt my chest puff out in defense. Farkas stepped closer to me, "Vilkas.." He mumbled disapprovingly.  
Kodlak cut the tension, "Nonsense, Vilkas. We always have room for warriors with fire in their bellies."   
I smiled gratefully at him. In my peripherals, Vilkas sat up straighter in his chair as Farkas placed a big hand on my back, "That settles it, Ill see you around then!" I looked up at his warm smile and gave him one back before he jogged away.  
I turned my attention back to Vilkas and Kodlak. A knowing smile was on the old mans face, he was filled with wisdom that I could not even begin to comprehend. "Vilkas, go test her arm in the courtyard."   
Vilkas stood up, "Why me? Kodlak you know Farkas is stronger than me."  
Kodlak's voice was firm, "Farkas is not a master in his form of combat as you are, Vilkas." He stood up and faced Vilkas, almost as if he were comforting him. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "You do not need muscle to be strong, remember?"  
Vilkas nodded back and turned to look at me. "Lets go." He said and we walked toward down the hall together.  
"And Vilkas," Kodlak called after us. We did not stop walking, but let him continue as we grew nearer to the other end of the hall, "No audience. Just the two of you."  
I looked up at him, to get a feel of his reaction to the harbingers orders, but he just rolled his eyes and pushed the door to the upper hall open.


	4. 4

The Companions had all settled around the table for a meal, their heads turned when Vilkas and I arose from the living quarters together. Farkas's face caught my attention first, as he called to his brother from his seat at the table. "Where are you headed, Brother? Skjor says you should deal with Nazeem today."  
Vilkas cracked a devious smile, "Oh, it'd be my pleasure to send him to the cloud district. Why didn't he want you to do it?"  
Farkas took a chunk of bread between his teeth and choked back laughter as he stood from his chair and walked over to us, "You know I'd love to," His words came out muffled, "But Skjor wants you to go and take Varla with you."  
Vilkas looked at his brother, trying to mask what appeared to be shock, "I was just about to go test her arm."  
Farkas's eyes met mine, "I think teaching a milk drinker a lesson in respect should be test enough, don't you brother?"  
Vilkas's brotherly jesting came to an end when Farkas's attention became focused on me. "We'll have to see then. Come on, Whelp."  
I looked to Farkas one last time, "Is that supposed to be derogatory or-" I asked under my breath.  
Farkas walked with me to the exit, "What? Do you mean milk drinker, or whelp?"  
Vilkas growled in the doorway,"Farkas."  
I looked over at him, he looked defeated, the captivating fun long gone from his features. The sun shone in through the door behind him and the chilly Skyrim wind blew hair into his face, making it hard to read his emotions properly. "Alright, alright." He afforded me one last kind smile before retreating to his place at the table.  
I spun on my heels to find Vilkas already out the door, which was slowly swinging close. I extended an arm and caught it before it shut, then jogged to catch up with him. "Im Varla."  
Vilkas scoffed, "Are you the only Varla in Tamriel, then?"  
"The only one worth knowing." I snapped back.  
Vilkas laughed at my retort, "And why's that?"  
"Stick around long enough and you'll see for yourself."  
He eyed me curiously. There was something sly about the way he moved, no doubt, but he wasn't in his element. I could tell something was throwing him off and, unbeknownst to myself, I yearned to know what it was.  
We walked down the stairs and a guard greeted us curtly, "Good day, Companions."  
"We're looking for Nazeem." Vilkas mention commandingly.  
"He was in the Market, last I saw." The guard nodded and continued on his route.  
We walked past the priest of Talos, who was screaming blindly to an empty crowd. I did my best to ignore him, "What are we doing, Vilkas?" I asked confidently.  
"Sometimes people need to teach someone a lesson that they can't teach themselves, if you catch my drift. So they pay us to do it for them." He seemed eager to do this job.  
"So we beat the living daylights out of someone for coin?" I didn't attempt to hide my discontent.  
Vilkas laughed in the face of my judgement, "Have you met Nazeem, yet?"  
I went silent, trying to remember if I had, but he didn't wait long for my response.  
"Let's just say he's gonna make your first time an easy one." He chuckled to himself.  
"I hope you're right." I mumbled.  
"I usually am." His response was sharp.  
I laughed at his arrogance, "Are you always this cocky when you first meet someone?"  
Vilkas stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes burning holes in my own, "Are you always so friendly when you first meet someone?" He spat venomously.  
My eyes widened in shock, "Are you referring to Farkas?"  
He didn't dignify me with an answer, but stood very close to me. I saw him closer than I had seen another person in as long as I could remember. His scent was encompassing in all its musk, and I found my mind wandering to dangerous places. He seemed to be unable to pull away from me as well, and his eyes met my own with an almost inciting contempt.  
A whiny voice pierced through our trance on one another. "Oh hello, you must be new here. Have you been to the cloud district yet?"  
Vilkas growled deep in his throat and I felt myself fighting the urge to touch him, punch him, shoot him with my bow, anything. "Nazeem, We need to speak with you." His eye contact with me didn't break, "If you could just wait over there." He reached a sharply cut arm up and pointed to a goods store we has just walked past.  
I paid no attention to Nazeem, but only to the contracting muscles in Vilkas's rising and falling chest as he seemed to be fighting off some sort of encompassing urge. "How do you know my brother?" He whispered, scanning my face for any sign of falsehood in my answer.  
I stood my ground, "The same way I know you."  
He did not seem to enjoy this answer, letting another low growl seep from between his teeth.  
"Then why did he recognize you when you came in today?" He was struggling, I could tell.  
"Why do you care so much?" I was shocked at his audacity.  
"I don't, I just," He huffed in defeat and took a small step away from me, "Are you ready to do this?"  
"Uhm, I guess." My brow was furrowed in confusion. Where had that come from?  
Nazeem stood where Vilkas had told him to but I could tell by his exaggerated sighs that he was getting irritated.  
Vilkas stood up straight and rolled his shoulder back, "Okay, hit me."  
My eyes widened, "Pardon me?"  
"I said hit me, whelp."  
I laughed in shock, "What wrong with you?!"  
"I need to make sure you can actually do this, just hit me. I promise you won't land it." His tone was mocking.  
I could not believe the nerve on this man, "You asked for it."  
Nazeem watched quizzically from the corner as I balled up my fist and took a fighting stance. Vilkas looked down on me with a devilish look in his eye and a sly smile. He enjoyed this.  
I pulled my arm back and flung my fist into his gut first, but it was met with his own hand catching it. I looked up at him in shock and yanked it out of his grip, shaking my palms out. He laughed under his breath, "I told you."  
I fired up again, this time aiming for his side, but when I released, he caught my fist again. This time he pulled me tight against his chest and wrapped my arm around my own back. I gasped in shock when I heard his whisper in my ear, "You're going to have to be quicker than that, little wolf."  
His chest was hard against my own. I felt his wild heartbeat in the palm of my hand when he released me and I pushed back away from him. He had that look in his eye again, from the first time I saw him in Jorrvaskr. It was throwing me off balance and pulling the air from my lungs.  
I took a few steps back, deciding to do what I did best. I'd show him what a little wolf could do. If he wanted a fight, fine. I could provide a fight, but I wasn't about to follow his rules. He cocked his head to the side in anticipation, fists drawn in fighting stance.  
I started springing toward him and smiled as I watched his eyes widen in surprise. When I got close to him I dropped to my knees to evade his swinging fist and slid under him between his legs. I wrapped my hand around his ankle and yanked it up with me as I stood back up, bringing his solid body crumbling to the floor. He caught himself in a push up position and spun around to get back up but it was too late, I'd already begun to pounce on him, pushing him back onto the ground and pinning his arms beneath each of my knees. He was looking up at me, wide eyed in amazement, his hair ruffled and his chest muscles contracted. I smiled down at his dumb-founded face and brought my fist up to finally land my hit, but before I knew it he was pushing upward again. I lost my balance and tipped onto my side. I tried to crawl away by I felt a large, powerful hand clasp around my ankle, and then another on my calf. I reached out for something to grab but he was pulling me back. Soon both his hand were on my hips and with one final tug, he pulled me beneath him. I was pinned to the ground by his body, face down in the grass. I was panting heavily, a huge grin plastered on my face, and I thanked the Divines that he couldn't see how much I was blushing. I heard him gasping in my ear as well and knew I'd been beaten.  
He whispered in my ear again, "That was pretty quick-"  
"For a little wolf?" I cut him off and heard him laugh in amusement.  
The breath from it ruffled my hair and sent goosebumps down my spine. "Yeah, for a little wolf."  
I craned my neck upward from where I was pinned to see if Nazeem was still waiting, but found his previous spot to be empty. "Shit," I mumbled, trying to wiggle my way out from under him.  
I felt a hand grasp my hip bone and quickly push my waist toward the ground, "Don't do that, whelp." Vilkas barked.  
"Woah, what?" Before I finished my question, I already knew what he was referring to.  
Vilkas stood slowly and immediately turned away from me, but I'd felt a prodding from his groin only a moment ago. The blush rose in my cheeks and I tried to stifle a giggle. As I stood, I dusted off my leather armor and tried to pretend I didn't know what had happened.  
Men were fragile creatures, erections had always seemed to me like a flawed design in a way. However, I found myself wondering absentmindedly exactly what about me had made him feel that way. I swallowed hard when I felt the heat rising inside me and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. "Sorry," I breathed, "I just," I took another deep breath, "Nazeem got away. He must have caught on."  
"Yeah, no shit. What do you think tipped him off?" He was playful this time, but he still faced away from me. He was resting, leaning forward on a stone wall to catch his breath. "Kodlak will not be happy about this."  
I laughed, "I think it's safe to say I've proved my worth, though."  
He laughed, "I'd say so, little wolf." He stood up straight and turned around, looking at me from down his nose with a mysterious gleam in his eye. "You've got me convinced."  
I laughed and started walking back to Jorrvask, he followed suit. My head was swimming in confusion and I didn't want him to see the emotion in my face.  
"Just to be clear, though, you didn't actually land a hit."  
"Your honor is safe with me, brave warrior." I mocked.  
Vilkas laughed, "Brave warrior, eh?" Our eyes met again as we walked, only for a brief moment before he looked at the path ahead.  
We walked in silence up the stairs and towards the doors or Jorrvaskr, my mind was too clouded with confusion to begin to investigate my own feelings, let alone what they meant. I was exhausted and worried about what would happen since we didn't complete our mission. As we got closer to the hall, I saw Vilkas chewing on his bottom lip. He seemed to be contemplating speaking to me, and before he pushed the door open, he stopped with his palm on the handle and gave me a perplexed look. I met his gaze with curiosity as he searched for the words, but they never came. He just gave me a half smile, "You ready?" He managed.  
I looked at him, confused, "For what?"  
He sighed, "Just let me do the talking, you'll see."  
And with that he pushed the doors open and I followed him inside.


	5. 5

Vilkas was quick to let himself into the living quarters once we entered the hall. I let my eyes follow his hastening form as he went to speak with Kodlak. A large grin was plastered on his face as he walked. Farkas, joyous, called out to him, "Brother!" His tone was light and he waved a tankard of mead above his head for his twin to take, "A celebration! Did you have a pleasant visit with our dear friend, Nazeem? Or what am I saying, of course you did!"   
Vilkas only laughed as he approached the stairs. Farkas stood from his seat and walked over with an extra tankard in hand and passed it to me. "It must have been a great victory, for him to be so cheerful." He said to me, his eyes meeting mine with anticipation.   
I blushed under their admiration, "Not at all, actually. The only ass he kicked was mine."  
I took a sip of mead to calm my nerves and his brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"   
"We fought and I guess it scared Nazeem off or maybe he got bored, I don't know. I guess he's gone to speak with Kodlak about our failure." My stomach turned at the thought of Vilkas recounting our fight with the harbinger.  
Farkas laughed, "Regardless, he must have had fun. Vilkas hardly smiles like that."   
I blushed at the thought and took another drink of mead. I saw Farkas eyeing my cup, "What? Am I not drinking fast enough for you?" I joked, walking toward the table to survey the options for food.   
Farkas followed close behind me, "Not at all, I just, I don't know. I'm not one for talking, really, I guess."  
His words were harsh but he said them simply, as if he was at peace with the facts and wasn't looking to change them. "Then what are you more suited to?" I spun around to face him and sat on the tabletop.   
He smiled at me proudly, "Adventure."   
My heart warmed, I smiled back at him and said nothing.  
"What?" He laughed uncomfortably.  
I broke my eye contact, blushing. "Sorry, its just that you remind me of someone."  
He cocked his head to one side, curious, "You mean my brother?"  
I considered telling him about Anni but knew I should wait until I was sober to make such a big decision, "You're just a lot like someone I used to be very close with."   
My heart ached at the thought of my sister, and I brought the mead to my lips to down the rest of my cup. I wondered as I was chugging if I was wasting time here, Farkas was cheering me on and at the same time filled me a new cup. It was waiting in his outstretched arm when I slammed my empty tankard down on the table I was sitting on. I took it from him gladly, "Thanks." I laughed.  
The bard was playing an upbeat song on his lute. I looked at Farkas and noticed him searching for something to say. "So you're not one for conversation," My words came out slurred slurred, damned mead had gone straight to my head, "But how about dancing?"  
He looked at me, confused. He really was tough on conversation, but what he lacked in words he made up for in physical prowess. He stood an entire foot taller than me, and his arms were cut with a complex web of muscles, and smooth pale skin. He was still trying to comprehend what I was getting at, I laughed a bit too loudly, "You wanna dance, or what?" I laughed, trying to ease his mind.  
His confused expression broke into a smile and he nodded firmly, extending a hand to help me off the table. I denied it and instead leaped off. I stumbled for a moment and felt a pair of strong hands grip my hips gently, steadying me. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled, "Thank you!"   
My embarrassment didn't linger long when one of those same hands pulled me into a free area, the same area that Athis and Njada fought this morning. They were dancing now, and laughing together. Skjor and Aela were making out on a bench in the corner. Ria was dancing too, and Brill was standing with his arm around the bard, singing gibberish with a bottle of mead in his free hand. The elder companions drank happily in their seats and observed the spectacle. I moved to the beat and polished off my second cup of mead. I was sweating now, "There's a crate of mead in Vilkas's room, if you want more!" Farkas offered.   
"Sounds good!" I smiled and jogged across the room to the living quarters. I knew I shouldn't be going where I knew Vilkas was in my current condition, but the mead fueled my desire to see him.  
The door to the living quarters swung shut behind me and I could hear the muffled music and laughter coming from upstairs. The living quarters were dark, all the candles blown out. I took a deep breath and tried to think long enough to remember where Vilkas's room was. I walked down the hall and tried to be as silent as possible, but my usually undetectable steps were met with resistance from my intoxicated state. "Damn it." I muttered defeated under my breath and decided to just focus on getting out of there without embarrassing myself. Curse my light weight and low tolerance for liquor.   
I found myself at two closed doors and racked my brain to try and remember which one was Farkas's and which was Vilkas's. I decided on the one I was closest to and slowly pushed it open. It was dark inside there and I sighed with relief upon realizing that meant it was probably Farkas's. I opened the other door, but it was just as Farkas the first one. I slipped inside anyways and closed the door behind me. The mead was making my senses dull, I fumbled around in the corner looking for the mead Farkas was talking about. I felt the walls for a candle when I heard something.   
A growlish moan.  
A gasp escaped my lips and I fell backward into what was certainly the case of mead I had originally been searching for. One of the bottles broke under me and I felt the shards of glass sticking into my thigh. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood in my efforts to stay silent.   
I heard him sitting up in bed, "I know you're there, I can smell you." He sighed.  
"You can smell me?"   
He laughed under his breath, "Why are you in my room?"  
My palms were sweaty, "Like, you can smell that it's me specifically?"  
"Aren't you busy getting drunk with my brother?" He spat.   
I heard him reach into his nightstand and pull something out. In a moment there was a bright flame casting light where he was sitting. He held the match to the wick on a candle and it took instantly. I stood up straight and took in the sight of him, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. The muscles in his back worked elegantly as he searched his dresser for something else. I was too drunk to hide my staring and I foolishly hoped that the shadows would do that for me. He was not wearing a shirt, and his dark brown hair was pulled up into a tie, allowing me to see more of him than I'd seen of any man in years. "Come lay on your stomach and Ill fix up your leg." He turned to me with his hand outstretched.  
The paint he'd been wearing around his eyes was washed off and his steely blue eyes looked judgingly at me. "Jesus, how drunk are you?"  
He mistook my admiration for intoxication, I thanked the Divines. "How do you know about my leg?"  
He smiled devilishly, "I can smell the blood." He was proud of himself.  
I burst out in laughter, "Who are you? What is your deal? You smell my blood, you smell that its me? What is that? You wanna fight about silly things in the market today but then cover for me with Kodlak? You want to shame me for drinking with your brother but also fix me up when Im hurt?"  
He looked surprised, his mouth opened to speak, but he second guessed it and said nothing instead. I instantly felt embarrassed about my outburst, "I'm sorry, I'm drunk."  
"I'm perfectly aware of that." He scoffed.   
"Oh! So you wanna be smart with me now." I reached behind me and pulled out a bottle of mead and tossed it to him. He caught it effortlessly, even in the dark. "Get on my level, then Ill take your attitude."  
He laughed, "You want the person who's about to heal your wounds to get drunk."  
I started peeling my leather armor off, in order to get proper access to my injury. "If you're gonna see me in my underwear, I need you to be on my level, my dear."  
"My dear? Tell me, can someone be so drunk that they forget someone's name?" He cocked an eyebrow and popped the cork out of his bottle as he slowly walked closer to me.  
I met his gait, leaving my bracers and chest piece behind me as I walked. Soon I was close enough to feel his warmth. I slowly tipped the bottle into his mouth with my index finger, "You're about to find out," He started gulping and the adams apple exposed on his neck was bobbing deliciously,I ached to run my fingers along it, "My dear."  
He finished the bottle and walked past me to the crate to pull another one open, but paused right before he put it to his mouth. "What are you waiting for?" He nodded towards his bed, "Lay down. I am very capable, don't you worry, little wolf."  
I looked at him cockily, "Close your eyes."   
He laughed at me, but obliged, turning his back before bringing the bottle to his lips and chugging the entirety of it again.   
I turned my back to him and stripped off my pants, leaving me in nothing but an undershirt and panties. I looked at him over my shoulder, eyes closed and empty bottle hanging loosely in his hand. "Good boy. You can come here now."  
He opened his eyes, and cleared his throat, smirking. "What am I? Your dog?"  
He seemed especially amused by this, his hardened exterior was crumbling, he was having fun now, I could feel it.   
I laughed as I laid face down on the bed, "Do you wanna be?" I was feeling bold.   
I heard him step closer to me and felt the bed shift beneath me when he sat to examine my wounds. His fingers ran lightly up my leg and around the tender flesh that had been cut by the bottle. I feared that he would be able to smell my nerves and the excitement building inside me, too. "Its not so bad. Your leather stopped most of it. Only punctured in one place." He popped the cork off a healing potion, "This might sting."


End file.
